Tiebreaker
by The Create Card
Summary: Yugi and Kaiba have each won one duel against each other. They now prepare for their third match, but this one's about to receive a lot of media coverage! Can the two duelists keep their focus? Can Joey exploit this duel for his own gain? TIME TO DUEL!
1. What A Scoop!

Author's Note: This would be my first story for the Yu-Gi-Oh section. It won't be my last, as Yu-Gi-Oh has really grown on me these past few months. Hope you enjoy this story and keep an eye out for a crossover sometime next month in the Anime Crossovers section.

  


Summary: After the events of "Taking A New Host", Yami Yugi and Seto Kaiba have agreed to one more duel. Currently, their series is tied one-to-one and a lot of pride is at stake in this tiebreaker. But IS IT just pride that's on the line? Or will the stakes get much higher as time goes on?

  


**Tiebreaker: Part 1**

  


Domino City was by all means a humble little town, especially on this particular Monday afternoon. It wasn't the center for excitement and fourteen-year-old Yugi Moto wouldn't have it any other way. He wasn't a normal human being by any stretch of the imagination. With the power of the ancient Millennium Puzzle that he wore around his neck, Yugi had a totally separate alter ego in the form of an ancient Egyptian spirit who had gone by many names in the past, but asked to simply be called Yami.

It was a big adjustment for Yugi to say the least, but he got used to having Yami lurking inside his mind. They both benefited from the other's presence. Yami had given Yugi the self-confidence he once lacked and helped him make new friends. Without the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi never would have met Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor. On the other end of the spectrum, Yugi offered Yami his friendship and showed the ancient spirit what it was like to have compassion.

The two had been through a lot together, including a venture into Maximillion Pegasus's Duelist Kingdom to save Yugi's grandfather. The sadistic Pegasus had taken the soul of Yugi's grandfather in order to lure Yugi and his Millennium Puzzle to Duelist Kingdom. Pegasus, who held the Millennium Eye, wanted the Millennium Puzzle for himself, but he was ultimately defeated by both halves of Yugi.

Although a lot had happened in Duelist Kingdom, there were many loose ends that were never tied. But the one that lingered on the back of Yugi's mind was his series of duels with Seto Kaiba, someone long considered to be the best duelist in the world. At least he had been until he first lost to Yami. Nobody in the world looked at Kaiba the same way again after that loss, but Kaiba and Yugi met up again in Duelist Kingdom. Yami and Kaiba dueled a second time, but through questionable methods, Kaiba had won this time around. Yami had nearly taken complete control of Yugi and almost killed Kaiba, but Yugi took control just in time.

Now that the adventures in Duelist Kingdom were over, Yugi Moto was back in Domino City living a normal (as normal as it COULD get) life. But in the last month, a lot had happened.

A month ago, Yugi's grandfather had purchased an artifact from someone in Odaiba. After the incident in which Yami nearly killed Kaiba, Yugi felt the Millennium Puzzle was better off apart. So he took it apart and left it in a bag. But after a long mix-up, it ended up around someone else's neck and Yami was in someone else's head. Kaiba had been brought in to help, but he only made things go in his own favor. Yugi eventually got the Millennium Puzzle back, but Seto Kaiba had what he wanted.

There would now be a rematch between Yami Yugi and Seto Kaiba to break the current tie. There was no time or place specified, but Yugi knew the day was coming soon.

In the meantime, however, Yugi was simply at the local diner. He sat melancholy at the table, slowly sipping on a vanilla milkshake. He wasn't even paying attention to what his friends were saying.

"Yuge!"

Yugi raised his head. "Huh? I'm sorry, Joey. Did you say something?"

Joey Wheeler shook his head. "I was asking you, how rare a card is your Summoned Skull? I've been getting a lot better at Duel Monsters and if I had a Summoned Skull and Polymerization card to go with my Red Eyes Black Dragon, that'd be sweet!"

Yugi shook off the cobwebs. "A Summoned Skull? It's…fairly rare. You should be able to find one if you look hard enough."

Fourteen-year-old Téa Gardner took a bite of her salad. "Yugi, is something wrong?"

"Uh…no, Téa. I'm ok."

"You're thinking about Kaiba again, aren't you?" Tristan Taylor asked. "Maybe you should let it go for now, Yugi. You don't even know when Kaiba wants that third duel. You should worry about it when the time comes."

It made a lot of sense. All this would just lead to unnecessary stress. Yugi didn't have to worry about that now. He would deal with the third duel when the time was right. That's when the front door of the diner opened. It hit the bells on top as it opened.

Joey sniffed. "Hey Tristan, you smell something?"

"Besides the hamburger?"

Joey smirked. "I smell turkey."

Yugi knew what that meant. Obviously meant to be an insult, Yugi knew a certain somebody Joey didn't like had just come into the diner. And as luck would have it, that person just happened to be Seto Kaiba.

"If it isn't my favorite foursome," Kaiba muttered as he reached Yugi's table. "Téa, Tristan, my favorite whimpering puppy Joey…"

"Hey!"

"…and Yugi. But I guess with that puzzle of yours, that'd make it a fivesome."

"It's nice to see you too, Kaiba," the ever-polite Yugi said.

"What do you want, Kaiba?" the ever-embittered Joey demanded.

"This doesn't involve you, monkey. This is between me and Yugi. The last time I saw you and your better half, Yugi, we were up in Odaiba having the time of our lives."

"That's one way to put it," Téa mumbled to herself.

"And I recall telling you that the time for our third duel would be very soon," Kaiba continued. "I think it's time to set an official date and I've come up with this Friday. What do you say?"

Kaiba didn't get an answer right away, because Yugi's Millennium Puzzle was reacting.

**_YU-GI-OH!!_**

Yugi had once again found himself placed on the backburner. If there was anybody who wanted to answer this challenge, it was Yugi's alter ego. Yami Yugi had now emerged.

Yami chuckled. "Friday? You're on, Kaiba!"

Kaiba smirked, knowing who had come out. "I can't wait to duel you again, Yami. And once I defeat you a second time, there will be no more excuses!"

"You'd just better be ready to lose, Kaiba!" the outspoken Joey piped up. "And just be thankful that you won't be losing in public or anything!"

As if on cue, the diner door burst open. A camera crew ran through the door as if there were no tomorrow. Behind the camera crew ran a reporter with a blue suit and slicked black hair. The camera crew and reporter sped towards the table where Yami and Kaiba were eyeing each other and the reporter put a microphone between them.

"Hello, Duel Monsters fans! I am S.G Dooler, reporting to you live! And I'm standing here with Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto, the world's two best duelists!"

Kaiba angrily turned to the reporter. "What is the meaning of this?!"

The reporter grinned. "Your duel, Mr. Kaiba! We all remember how Yugi Moto shocked the world when he handed you your first and only defeat. And everyone has heard that you have since avenged that loss. And now, you and Yugi Moto here are set to duel once more to settle the score!" He turned to the camera and flashed a white smile. "And K-DUEL, Duel Monsters TV, will be here to bring you full 'round the clock coverage!"

"You called a TV station?" Téa asked curiously.

"How did you find out about this?!" Kaiba demanded, ignoring Téa.

"We got an anonymous call from a member of your corporation, Mr. Kaiba," S.G Dooler answered.

Kaiba blinked. "But the only one who knows about this within my corporation is…" Kaiba paused and gritted his teeth. "MOKUBA!"

"All eyes will be on Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto this Friday!" S.G Dooler announced into the camera. "And the stakes have never been higher! The winner of this duel will be, without a doubt, THE #1 duelist in the world!"

"A lot of pride on the line," Tristan muttered.

"No sweat," Joey smirked. He patted Yami on the back. "You can handle it, right?"

Yami had a blank stare on his face. Yugi was the typical young man living in the 21st century, but Yami was an ancient spirit. He didn't know what to make of all these television cameras and reporters.

Yami sweatdropped. "Uh…excuse me…can we…turn off these…machines?"

"We can't turn our cameras off, Yugi Moto, because we're LIVE! Do you have any words for the MILLIONS watching nationwide?"

Yami found himself with a microphone in his face. And when he saw that all the cameras were focused on him, he nearly turned white.

"Uh…I…I…um…I…h-hello."

The reporter leaned towards Téa. "Is he ALWAYS like this?"

"He's just got a small case of stage fright," Téa whispered back.

"This interview is over!" Kaiba snapped. "Get those cameras out of here! I'm not speaking to the press!"

Kaiba started shooing away the cameramen and the reporter. He pushed them all towards the diner door and shoved them out.

"But what about the public?!" the reported pleaded.

Kaiba gave one last fierce shove. "OUT!!" After getting rid of the press, Kaiba clenched his fist. "What am I going to do with you, Mokuba?" He shrugged that off and turned back to Yami. "Regardless of how much coverage this gets, it doesn't change the fact that I'm going to defeat you, Yami! And I'll prove once and for all that I am the world's greatest duelist! I'll see you Friday…assuming you've got the guts to show up!"

Kaiba stormed out of the diner. The people eating their lunch had been witness to quite a display, as what was supposed to be a small, albeit important, affair was quickly becoming a public spectacle.

Yami was still frozen in place. Téa waved a hand in front of his face and got no reaction.

"He's spooked."

Finally, Yami went back into the Millennium Puzzle letting Yugi back out. And Yugi just took his seat again.

"What was that about?" Téa asked.

"You've got to remember that Yami isn't from our time, Téa," Yugi explained. "He's not familiar with things like TV cameras and nosy reporters. But to be fair, I probably would have froze just like he did. I didn't think this was THAT big a deal."

"Makes sense now that I think of it," Tristan thought. "For so long, Kaiba has been the world's greatest duelist. Then he lost to you and Yami. And back in Duelist Kingdom, he evened the series at one. This really IS a big deal, because the winner is, without question, the best duelist in the world. It's bound to get huge publicity! This is like the duel of the century!"

That got the gears in Joey's head turning. "Duel of the century, huh? That gives me an idea."

"What are you thinking about, Joey?" Téa asked curiously.

Joey sweatdropped. "Me? Uh…I was just thinking about how much time flies and I have to get back home. But I'll see you guys a little later…as soon as I get some things done. Good luck, Yugi!"

Joey dashed out of the diner like there was no tomorrow. It took a second to sink in, but that left Tristan infuriated.

"Joey, you cheapskate!! You left us with the check!!"

Téa sighed and reached for her purse. "I got it."

Yugi just took another melancholy sip on his milkshake. "You think there's really that much riding on this duel, Tristan?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if the stakes got even HIGHER as the week goes on," Tristan answered. "You know how Kaiba will do ANYTHING to be considered the best. And so will…"

Yugi shook his head. "Yami gave me his word that he would never do something like that again. But Kaiba…that may be another story."

Yugi thought about the consequences Kaiba faced after losing his first duel. He nearly lost his company and his reputation was given a scar that hasn't healed to this day. Knowing Seto Kaiba, he would do ANYTHING to avoid a second loss to Yugi and his Yami.

Yugi looked up at the ceiling. "This is going to be a long week."

  


Next Time: Yugi prepares for his third duel with Kaiba, but do his friends REALLY have faith that he can win again? Or will they try to help stack the deck in Yugi's favor? Meanwhile, Joey's lining up a harebrained scheme to take advantage of the 'Duel of the Century'.

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	2. Time For A Change

Last Time: Yugi and Kaiba met up in the diner to discuss their pending third duel. Both agreed to hold it this Friday, but they're both surprised when the press immediately jumps all over it. The third duel between Yugi and Kaiba is about to be HEAVILY publicized! And that gives an idea to one Joey Wheeler.

  


**Tiebreaker: Part 2**

  


Home alone for the moment, Joey dug through a heavy pile of junk looking for anything he could use for his latest endeavor. Seeing the coverage that Yugi's duel with Kaiba was sure to get, it gave Joey the best idea he had had in years.

But he was so wrapped up in looking through his pigsty that he didn't notice somebody clunk him on the head with a frying pan.

"HEY!" Joey turned around to see his good friend, Tristan, holding the pan in question. "What's the idea, Tristan?!"

"What's the idea of you running out on us in the diner?" Tristan shot back. "It was your turn to pay! Téa had to take the check!"

"Why didn't YOU pay?" Joey asked frankly.

Tristan sweatdropped. "Uh…I was short. But that doesn't excuse you for running out on us. What was your hurry?"

"The idea of the century!" Joey said proudly. "If Yugi's duel with Kaiba is REALLY gonna get all the attention we know it is, then it should be really easy…to cash in on it!"

"What do you mean?" Tristan asked skeptically.

Joey held up a blank white T-shirt. "We'll sell souvenirs! We'll sell Yugi/Kaiba T-shirts! Yugi/Kaiba caps! Yugi/Kaiba mugs! Yugi/Kaiba posters! Yugi/Kaiba commemorative plates! We'll go the whole nine yards! And we'll make a fortune off this stuff!!"

Just thinking about the possibilities made Joey break out one of his trademark impish grins. Tristan wasn't biting just yet, but Joey knew him better than anybody. It wouldn't be long before he was playing ball right alongside him.

"First of all, we don't HAVE any of that stuff!" Tristan pointed out.

"Doesn't matter," Joey replied. "We have until Thursday to get all of our inventory in gear and be ready for Friday's duel. Now if we're looking for maximum profits, we'll need to have a lot of inventory, so we'd probably have to miss a whole week of school."

"I have no problem missing school."

"Me neither," Joey grinned. "And we'll probably need supplies and materials. We can get all that stuff tonight. And by the end of the week, we should have more than enough souvenirs ready to go on sale! Think of it, Tristan! We can't miss with this! We're gonna be RICH!"

Tristan was thinking about it. "Rich, huh?"

While Tristan was merely thinking, Joey had blasted off into all-out daydreaming. Joey was thinking about laying back on a lounge chair in the Hawaiian islands, drinking out of a coconut shell with beautiful Hawaiian hula girls fanning him and catering to his every whim. Just thinking about it made him want to get right to work. But there was still the matter of making sure his partner in crime was in on the deal.

"So what do you say, Tristan?"

Tristan smirked. "I'm in!"

Joey and Tristan whooped and exchanged a high five. The stage was set for the biggest merchandising campaign in Domino City's history to begin.

And they would start immediately.

* * *

Yugi couldn't concentrate the next day at school. Everyone would occasionally stare at him, even his teachers. Everyone was excited about the coming duel with Kaiba. But Yugi was feeling butterflies in his stomach as he sat down at the bench in front of school. His friends weren't even there to comfort him. Joey and Tristan, for some strange reason, weren't at school that day. And Téa was at a club meeting.

So Yugi found himself at a bench and didn't even move. Usually, he'd head back to his grandpa's card shop after school, but seeing all those Duel Monsters cards would only remind him of what was coming up.

"Yugi?"

Yugi turned around to see that a friend HAD showed up. It was Bakura Ryou. Bakura took a seat next to Yugi, still wearing his Millennium Ring around his neck. Like Yugi, Bakura possessed a Millennium Item of his own, but his Yami was the spirit of an ancient grave robber who would stop at nothing to possess all seven Millennium Items. Bakura constantly struggled to keep that spirit buried.

"The coverage is unreal," Bakura began. "It's on every single channel and on every radio station. Everybody's talking about your duel with Kaiba this Friday."

"I can't believe this, Bakura! I've never been so nervous about a duel before in my life! It's like the whole world will be watching! I'm worried about what will happen if I lose."

"Do you really think you can win, Yugi?"

Yugi sighed. "I honestly don't know. The first time I beat Kaiba, it was because I was lucky enough to draw the five pieces of Exodia. But I didn't have Exodia the second time and I ended up losing."

"You didn't lose because you didn't have Exodia," Bakura pointed out. "You lost because Kaiba put himself in danger and forced you to back out of your last move."

"But I can't forget how good a duelist Kaiba is. And with all this publicity, he'll be sure to stop at nothing until he beats me."

Bakura reached into his backpack and pulled out his card deck. "Maybe this can help." He pulled out the top card and handed it to Yugi.

Yugi gasped. "The Change of Heart card?"

Bakura nodded. "Kaiba's deck holds the only three Blue Eyes White Dragons in the game of Duel Monsters and that's definitely nothing to sneeze at. But with this, you can take control of any Blue Eyes he has on the field for one turn. It'll give you a great advantage."

Yugi started envisioning his duel with Kaiba if he had the Change of Heart card, Bakura's favorite card, on his side. He could turn one of his Blue Eyes White Dragons against another. Because they have even attack strength, they could eliminate each other. Or Yugi could turn it against a weaker monster Kaiba has on the field and take out a chunk of his life points. It would definitely be useful in a tight spot.

But Yugi shook his head and gently declined. "Thanks, Bakura. But I'd rather win with my own cards. I've beaten Kaiba before and I'm sure I can do it again."

"You're absolutely sure, Yugi?" Bakura persisted. "Kaiba could have many tricks that he hasn't shown you yet. Are you willing to risk heading into this duel without the Change of Heart card?"

Bakura made a good point. Yugi still remembered the day Kaiba came into the card shop looking for his grandpa's Blue Eyes White Dragon. Kaiba's briefcase was filled with Duel Monsters cards. He must have had every card in the world. And to become the world's best duelist meant that Kaiba obviously knew how to use them and implement unbeatable strategies.

But Yugi declined, nonetheless. "I believe in the Heart of the Cards. I'll find a way to win this duel."

Bakura took back the Change of Heart card and put it in his deck. "I sure hope you know what you're doing, Yugi."

Yugi sighed deeply. "I hope so, too."

* * *

The sun was starting to set and Joey was getting exhausted. He had been laboring with many of the supplies he had picked up for his merchandising campaign out in his front yard, but creating merchandise from scratch was much more difficult than it first seemed.

"What have we got so far, Tristan?" Joey moaned.

Tristan held up the results of a whole day's worth of work. "Five T-shirts."

"You mean that's it?!" Joey exclaimed. "We worked all that time and all we have are five stinkin' T-shirts?!"

That's when Joey heard a feminine voice behind him. "You really have no idea what you're doing, do you, little Joey?"

Joey sweatdropped and groaned when he heard that voice. He turned his head to see that familiar head of blond hair that belonged to Mai Valentine.

"What do you want, Mai?" Joey asked dryly.

"To give you two amateurs a hand," Mai answered. "I'm assuming that you want to cash in on Friday's big duel by making a bunch of souvenirs to sell?"

"What's it to you?" Joey responded snidely.

Mai smirked. "What if I said I could help you go a lot faster? I could make it so you have every piece of merchandise you could ever hope to make."

Joey wasn't buying this. "I'd say 'What's the catch?'"

"I want a piece of the pie," Mai proposed. "Think about it, Joey. You won't get very far at your current pace, especially with Tristan over there as your only helper. But let me in on this and you'll get everything done. What do you say?"

"Welcome to the team!" Tristan blurted out.

"Hold it!" Joey cut in. "Just how BIG a piece of the pie are we talking about here?"

Mai made her offer. "I want half the profits!"

"But there are three of us!" Joey pointed out.

"Suit yourself, little Joey. But I can guarantee you more than ten times the current output you're getting. All I'm asking for is half. Take it or leave it."

"We'll take it!"

"TRISTAN!"

"Come on, Joey! We've got FIVE T-shirts done! If Mai thinks she can get us farther, then let's give her a chance!"

"Yeah, Joey! You don't even know what I've got in store yet."

Joey conceded with a sigh. "Alright Mai. Just what do you have in mind?"

"Well, I've got a lot of preliminary ideas, but we can always expand. I'll tell you what. Come on by the empty warehouse a few blocks over by the diner and you'll see exactly what I have in mind."

"Why can't we go now?" Joey asked suspiciously.

"Because I want you to see how everything goes after a full night of work. You can see that giving me half the profits will be more than justified. So if there aren't anymore questions, I'll see you two tomorrow."

Mai walked off with a satisfied look on her face. Joey was still feeling suspicious. But more than that, he was feeling deflated. With Mai now getting half the profits, Joey could see his fantasies of coconut drinks and hula girls on a tropical island fading away. He would be lucky if he got enough for the plane fare.

But if Mai felt that she could help Joey, then he was willing to give her a shot. After all, what could possibly happen?

* * *

Seto couldn't get it out of his head. He knew this Friday would mark the day he defeated Yugi and his Yami once and for all, but he couldn't get it out of his mind. Even in his own office, Seto couldn't get the duel off his mind. And most of it was because of Mokuba, who was flipping channels on the office's TV.

Every single channel was saying the same thing. Friday's duel would be the Duel of the Century. There was literally nothing else on.

_"This Friday's duel promises to be…"_

"Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto, one more time…"

"Their series is even at one a piece and this Friday…"

"A lot is riding on this Friday's duel between Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto…"

"Mokuba, turn that off!"

Mokuba shut the TV off just before Seto lost his mind. He couldn't believe that all eyes were on him and Yugi. But Seto believed in his own abilities. Even with the power of the Millennium Puzzle helping him, Yugi could not beat him. Seto knew it. Seto believed it.

"You'd think this was all that was going on in the world," Seto grumbled. "Don't these people have anything better to cover?"

"It's because they know what a big event this is," Mokuba suggested.

"I should be blaming you for this," Seto shot back. "You're the one who called that reporter! Don't you think there's enough pressure riding on me without having the media watching over everything like a hawk?"

"Why feel pressured, big brother? You know you can win, right? You're the best duelist in the world. You have every powerful card at your disposal and there's nothing Yugi has that could possibly defeat you. I know you can win!"

Seto had nearly forgotten that. That's why he loved his little brother. Mokuba was his number one supporter. And he made a good point. Seto knew in his heart that he was the best. He could not be beaten.

"You're right, kiddo. I will beat Yugi AND his Yami. They don't stand a chance."

Seto's phone suddenly rang. He knew this was coming. The first time he lost to Yugi, the members of his board had lost faith in him and attempted to shift control of Kaibacorp to Maximillion Pegasus. After returning from Duelist Kingdom, Seto made sure they paid for their disloyalty.

But with this pending third duel, he knew that he couldn't lose again. The new board wouldn't stand for it. There was more on the line for Seto than anybody else knew.

Finally, after four rings, Seto picked up the phone.

"This is Kaiba. **…** Yes, I'm aware. **…** Trust me. I won't lose."

  


Next Time: Preparations for the duel are still underway. Feeling pressured, Yami Yugi has a quick practice duel. But is the pressure of media coverage throwing Yami off? And the Joey Wheeler merchandising campaign is underway. What's Mai's surprise?

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	3. Heartbroken

Last Time: The pressure of Friday's duel is getting to Yugi and Kaiba. Bakura offered Yugi the Change of Heart card, but Yugi turned it down, believing he could win with his own deck. And Kaiba is getting pressured by the stockholders of Kaibacorp, who won't tolerate another loss to Yugi. And Joey's plan is revealed. He plans to profit off the duel by creating a monster merchandising campaign with help from Tristan…and Mai?

  


**Tiebreaker: Part 3**

  


Yami Yugi wiped the sweat from his brow. One of the first things he learned as King of Games is that he had to keep a confident exterior, even if he really wasn't feeling that way on the inside. Showing fear or anxiety was a sure way to give the opponent a psychological advantage.

Yami had come out an hour ago to engage in a practice duel before Friday at the park. There weren't any virtual projectors, so he was dueling simply with cards on a bench. But with the coverage of the modern media looming, Yami was feeling nervous. In fact, he was already down to 1200 Life Points.

Closing his eyes, Yami drew a card from the deck…and gave off his ever-familiar smirk. "Your luck has finally run out. I draw the Dark Magician!"

**Dark Magician 2500/2100**

Yami played the Dark Magician and attacked, destroying the monster on the field and bringing his opponent all the way down to 500 Life Points. His opponent couldn't believe it. Although Yami's opponent still had another monster on the field, it couldn't possibly last against the Dark Magician.

The monster was Shining Friendship.

Yami smiled. "You know, you're getting better at this…Téa."

Téa grinned. "Thanks, Yami."

"It's your move. But I don't think you have anything in your deck that could beat my Dark Magician."

Téa drew one card and looked very satisfied. "I play the Magician of Faith in Attack Mode."

**Magician of Faith 300/400**

Yami was feeling more confident. "I know that's your favorite card, Téa, but your Magician of Faith can't possibly help you against my Dark Magician."

"One of them can't," Téa shot back. "But I combine her with this Multiply card to create an army to defend my Shining Friendship."

"What?!"

Téa had taken a page out of Yami's book. He was the one who implemented that strategy to defend against the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon in his second duel with Kaiba. And because the Magician of Faith only had 300 Attack Points, the move was perfectly legal. Yami couldn't get past them and thus couldn't reach Shining Friendship. But Yami had one move left.

Yami knew that if he could draw Catapult Turtle, he could launch the Dark Magician over the Magicians of Faith and wipe out Shining Friendship. It would be the perfect strategy to outmaneuver the effect of the Multiply Card. Even if Téa destroyed Catapult Turtle on her next turn, it would mean her next card would have to leave the safety of the Magicians of Faith and Yami could destroy it with another certain card in his hand: the Summoned Skull.

Yami was about to draw his next card, but…

"Hey! It's Yugi Moto!"

A member of the press had found Yami. The reporter rushed over and immediately took a picture. There was a lot that Yami didn't understand about the 20th century and the vexatious nature of the media was one of them. Things were never this way in ancient Egypt.

Yami's concentration had been thrown off. He couldn't think anymore. That's when he started to hear Yugi.

_/ Yami, are you ok? /_

// He's just…watching me. Observing me like I'm some animal. I can't think like this, Yugi! //

/ Concentrate, Yami! Just draw one more card. I know we'll get Catapult Turtle. Just focus! /

Yami sighed and drew one card, but he didn't have that same level of concentration and confidence that he always had. But luckily, he still drew the card he needed.

"I play Catapult Turtle in Attack Mode!"

**Catapult Turtle 1000/2000**

Téa gasped. "Catapult Turtle?"

"That's right. I also play the Magic Card, Yami, to change the field and boost my Dark Magician to 2700 Attack Points while dropping your Shining Friendship to 1100 Attack Points. And I use Catapult Turtle to launch my Dark Magician and destroy Shining Friendship!"

**Dark Magician 2500/2100 == 2700/2300**

Shining Friendship 1300/1100 == 1100/900

Although the Dark Magician was ultimately sacrificed, the move dropped Téa to 250 Life Points. Yami had found the counter to the strategy he had once created.

Téa couldn't think of another move. "I play Fairy's Gift in Attack Mode."

**Fairy's Gift 1400/1000 == 1200/800**

Yami knew victory was imminent. The Yami card was still in play, dropping Fairy's Gift's Attacks points to 1200. Téa had no way to fight back. So he played the card that would win this duel.

"I play the Summoned Skull in Attack Mode!"

**Summoned Skull 2500/1200**

With the powerful Summoned Skull in play, Yami started getting cocky. "Because you're my friend, Téa, I won't attack just yet. I'll give you one chance to try and pull a victory out of your hat. So come on. Give me your best shot."

_/ Yami…are you sure this is a good idea? /_

// Trust me, Aibou. There's no way she can win. She has nothing in her deck that can help her. And this could give that annoying reporter a little message to deliver to Kaiba. I'm not playing this time around. //

/ I sure hope you know what you're doing. /

But Téa pulled a shocker. "I play the Change of Heart card to take control of your Summoned Skull and destroy your Catapult Turtle."

Yami's eyes widened. "NO!"

The Change of Heart card had done him in. Yami's Summoned Skull wiped out Catapult Turtle and with that attack, his Life Points were knocked all the way down to zero.

Yami had lost.

The reporter wrote it all down. "Amazing! 'Yugi Moto loses warm-up match'! What a scoop!"

The reporter got up and started dashing away like there was no tomorrow. Yami got furious.

"I didn't lose! I beat myself! I got cocky! You hear me?! COCKY!!"

Téa sweatdropped. "Yami…it's ok. You know you could have beaten me if you had attacked. Don't let that reporter get to you."

"Téa, I'm the King of Games! I don't lose! Not even in a casual warm-up duel. I can't believe I was so careless and STUPID! How could I be so careless and arrogant?!"

"I just got lucky, that's all," Téa said soothingly. Then she thought about what happened and smiled. "Hey, maybe I AM becoming a better duelist! I've got to find some new cards. Will you be alright, Yami?"

Feeling ashamed of himself and the foolish way he lost that duel, Yami headed back into the Millennium Puzzle.

  
  


Yugi looked around and noticed that Yami had gone back into the puzzle. It was just him and Téa now.

"I think Yami needs some time alone," Yugi said. "But I agree, Téa. You're becoming a much better duelist. That was a great move you pulled at the end with the Change of Heart card."

"Thanks, Yugi."

"But now I wonder if Kaiba could pull a similar move in OUR duel this Friday? He has just about every card there is. I wouldn't be surprised if he had one waiting in the wings. Maybe I SHOULD have accepted Bakura's offer."

"Bakura's offer?"

"He offered to let me borrow HIS Change of Heart card. But…"

"If we're talking about borrowing cards, borrow one of mine!" Téa offered. "I'll loan you the Magician of Faith!"

"What would I need the Magician of Faith for?" Yugi asked curiously. "I really don't see any use for it in my deck."

"NO USE FOR IT?!?!" Téa snapped, making Yugi flinch. "Yugi, I've seen you use that trick with the Multiply card and the Kuriboh plenty of times. But you'd be a lot better off using the Magician of Faith with the Multiply card instead. You know the effect it has. You can use it to get a Magic Card out of your Graveyard. And then you can use your Multiply card on it."

Yugi wasn't about to argue with that logic. Téa was more familiar with the Magician of Faith than anybody. And the offer certainly sounded tempting. Yugi pictured himself getting back a crucial Magic Card like Monster Reborn if he played the Magician of Faith.

But Yugi refused. "I truly believe I can win with my own deck, Téa. I appreciate the offer…"

"Say no more, Yugi. If you believe you can win, then so do I."

Yugi smiled. "Thanks, Téa. I can always count on your support."

"Hey, is that a smudge on the Millennium Puzzle?"

Yugi looked down and started looking for that smudge, but he didn't see anything. He also failed to notice Téa slipping a card into Yugi's deck.

"Where? I don't see anything."

"Never mind. It's gone now. But tell me something. What do you think Kaiba has in store for your duel this Friday?"

Yugi sighed. "Like I said, Kaiba has just about every card there is. By the time we duel, there's a good chance he may have restructured his deck or added new cards. His deck may be completely different. The only thing I know for sure is that he'll have three Blue Eyes White Dragons waiting."

Yugi was starting to believe that maybe it was a good idea for him to start reshuffling HIS deck, also. But he quickly dismissed that thought. He had always stuck with his own deck through thick and thin and this time, things would be no different. Yugi would always believe in his deck…

…even if he did have his doubts.

* * *

The day went on as any normal day would. Joey had spent the whole day trying to continue his merchandising campaign himself. But Tristan finally managed to coax him into checking out the warehouse on the other side of town. Joey really didn't want Mai's help, especially knowing that she wanted half the profits. But a part of him was curious about what she had planned.

When they arrived, Mai was waiting for them out front. Like any other woman who had ever been left waiting, Mai had her arms crossed with an impatient look on her face.

"And just what took you so long, little Joey? Still stubbornly trying to do all this yourself?"

"What do you have, Mai?" Joey asked dryly.

Mai walked over to the front door of the warehouse and opened it slightly before turning around to smirk. "Why don't you come in and see?"

Joey and Tristan exchanged glances and shrugged before following Mai into the warehouse. Inside the warehouse were dozens upon dozens of workers. Many people were working on countless amounts of merchandise. Joey reached over towards one of the boxes and pulled out a T-shirt. It had a perfect image of Yugi and Kaiba, dramatically posing with their backs to one another. It was better than anything Joey could have created.

"This is really cool, Mai!" Tristan exclaimed.

"What do you think, Joey?" Mai grinned.

"I like it! I like it a lot! But how'd you get all these people to work here?"

"That's none of your business," Mai replied. "Just be glad I decided to help."

"You decided to help because you're getting half the profits," Joey pointed out.

"Joey Wheeler, if that's how you feel, then…"

Before an argument could erupt between the two, somebody else knocked on the door. Joey, Tristan, and Mai all turned their heads to see a snickering kid in a green shirt, brown vest and pants, and a red skiers cap on his head.

"Look what we have here. I was wondering what was going on in this old warehouse and seeing Joey Wheeler, of all people, walk in here just peaked my curiosity."

Joey recognized this joker. "What do you want, Rex?"

Rex Raptor walked in and looked around as he maintained his smug look. "Well, I'm impressed. I knew SOMEBODY had to cash in on this duel between Yugi and Kaiba. I just didn't think it'd be you. I'll give you credit, Joey. I guess you DON'T have the brain of a stegosaurus, after all."

"What do you want, Rex?" Joey muttered again.

"I just wanted to see if you'd be willing to let me in on this," Rex grinned. "I'll lend a hand and we can watch the money roll in faster than a dino stampede. What do you guys say?"

"We have enough help!" Mai huffed. "Look around, Rex! We've got all the workers we need, so buzz off!"

"In other words, SCRAM!" Joey added.

"I'll give you a chance to reconsider," Rex warned. "My services are available and highly coveted. You can either have me with you or against you. It's your call."

"We don't need you, Rex," Tristan growled.

"I'm sorry to hear you say that," Rex scoffed. "I guess I'll have to stay with my current business venture."

"Current business venture?" Joey repeated.

"He means OUR current business venture," another voice called out.

Someone else was standing by the door. It was a guy in a green lab coat, glasses, and a bowl haircut. Like Rex, he also had a smug look on his face. Joey recognized him as Weevil Underwood.

"Just what exactly are you doing here, Rex?" Weevil demanded.

"Trying to see if I could get these guys to play ball," Rex answered. "But apparently, they prefer to get stomped."

"I see through you, Rex," Weevil smirked. "You were trying to see if you could get into THEIR endeavor and try and collect a second paycheck!" He chuckled. "That's underhanded! Sounds like something *I* would do!"

"Yeah, but they're refusing!" Rex growled. "I guess we'll have to show them who the REAL businessmen are!"

"Ok, time out!" Joey cut in. "Just what are you two babbling about?"

"You're not the only one looking to cash in on this Friday's duel!" Weevil explained. "Rex and I have set up a money-making scheme of our own! And it'll outdo anything you have planned, Joey Wheeler."

"Oh yeah? Wanna bet?"

Weevil chuckled. "I thought you'd never ask."

Joey blinked. "Come again?"

"I'd like to make a little wager with you, Joey," Weevil clarified. "I'll bet you that we'll make more profit than you! And I'm SO confident, we'll go as far as to put all of our profits on the line. If you can make more money than us, Rex and I will give you every cent we make!"

"What's the catch?" Joey asked cautiously.

"You've got something that belongs to me and I want it back!" Rex grumbled. "If we win the bet, I want my Red Eyes Black Dragon back!"

"You're asking me to put my Red Eyes on the line?" Joey smirked.

"But wait, there's more," Weevil added. "You have something in your deck I could use. I want the Time Wizard!"

"The Time Wizard? What do you want with my Time Wizard?"

"I'm very familiar with the power of the Time Wizard. It has the power to advance time by eons! Once I have that card in my deck, I can use its Time Magic to move time forward and evolve the primitive bugs in my deck into extremely powerful SUPERBUGS! I must have it!"

"Keep dreaming," Joey scoffed. "Whatever meager profits you make aren't worth me putting up my Red Eyes AND my Time Wizard up for grabs. Not interested."

"What's the matter, Joey?" Weevil mocked. "Scared? No faith in your merchandising campaign?"

"I'm not surprised," Rex scoffed. "I'd expect no backbone from that dueling monkey."

Joey snarled. He hated being called a dueling monkey. "I'll show you two who's got backbone! You're on!"

Tristan's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"

Weevil laughed. "That's all I needed to hear. Kiss your cards goodbye, Joey. Let's go, Rex."

Weevil and Rex, feeling satisfied with themselves, walked out of the warehouse. Tristan and Mai were shaking their heads in disbelief. And ever-impulsive Joey Wheeler just grinned…until he saw the looks on Tristan and Mai's faces.

Joey sweatdropped. "What are you two looking at?"

  


Next Time: We reach a long Thursday as Yugi tries to prepare once again for his final duel with Kaiba. Téa wants to help Yugi and Yami relax, but what does an ancient spirit do to unwind? Meanwhile, Joey's putting the finishing touches to his merchandising campaign. But will the pressure of having his best cards on the line get to him?

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	4. Hot Springs Are In The Air

Last Time: Yami had a brief practice duel with Téa, but with a nosy reporter throwing him off, Yami wound up LOSING! Joey and Tristan were introduced to Mai's surprise: a warehouse full of workers all making up merchandise. Shortly after, Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor arrived to make a challenge to Joey. Joey accepted the challenge and even put up his Red Eyes Black Dragon and Time Wizard on the line.

  


**Tiebreaker: Part 4**

  


The channels on the television kept switching on their own. Yugi had pressed the 'scan' button on his remote. Every channel was talking about tomorrow's duel with Kaiba. It was making him awfully nervous, but what made things even worse was the headline on the front page of today's newspaper…which covered his loss to Téa. But all of this wasn't getting to Yugi as much as it was getting to Yami.

_/ Yami, I hope you're not letting any of this bother you. /_

// Nobody ever did this to me in my day. There were no such things as…reporters…and…cameras…and…how can you LIVE with all this, Aibou?! //

/ Well…actually, I can't exactly picture myself living without it. It's been a staple of modern life. /

// My nerves are shot. I don't think I can focus. //

/ Yami, don't say that. You'll be fine. Just pretend the cameras aren't even there. /

// But they ARE there! And every time I look into one of them, I realize that there are…MILLIONS of people watching! It's a wicked kind of sorcery that even *I* could have never fathomed! //

/ It's not sorcery, it's technology. Look, Yami, if it makes you that nervous, then do what anyone else does when they're being watched by millions of people. Picture them all in their underwear. /

// You want me to WHAT?! //

Before Yugi could dig himself in a deeper hole, someone knocked at his front door. His grandpa, Solomon Moto, answered the door and called back to his grandson.

"Yugi? It's Téa."

Yugi got up from the couch. "Thanks, Grandpa!" He ran over to greet Téa. "Hi, Téa. What brings you here?"

"Yugi, I can tell you've been a little…distracted lately. I mean, you could hardly concentrate at school today. I think you've got tomorrow's duel on the brain."

"If you think *I* have it bad, you should see poor Yami. He's completely neurotic."

"That's why I'm here, Yugi. You think I could talk to Yami for just a minute?"

"Uh…sure thing, Téa."

_/ Yami? Téa wants to… /_

// I don't want to talk to anybody! //

/ Yami, at least come out and say hi! /

// No! I want to be alone! //

Téa bent down and held the Millennium Puzzle in her right hand. "Yami, it's me. Can we talk? I think I have something you might want to hear."

It looked like Yami was finally relenting, because the Millennium Puzzle began to react.

**_YU-GI-OH!!_**

The Millennium Puzzle emitted its light and once it faded, Yami Yugi now stood in Yugi Moto's place.

"What did you want to tell me, Téa?" Yami asked politely.

"You have a tough duel ahead of you tomorrow. And I realize that maybe your practice duel with me didn't make things any better, so…let me take you out and get your mind off tomorrow's duel. Let me help you relax and ease your tension."

"How do you propose to do that?"

"Well…what do you like to do to unwind?"

"I duel."

"Besides that! Remember, we're getting your mind OFF dueling! Yami, think back to your days in Egypt…"

"Téa, I hardly REMEMBER my days in ancient Egypt."

"Oh…sorry. Uh…ok…what would people from ancient Egypt do to unwind?"

Yami thought about that and could think of one answer. "People from my time would relax in the hot springs."

Téa thought about that. "Hot springs, huh? Yami, I think I have just what you're looking for."

Before Yami could even ask, Téa dragged him out by the arm. He was going out whether he liked it or not.

* * *

Joey walked around the warehouse with Tristan walking along behind him slowly with a nose buried in a book. With the added pressure of having his Red Eyes Black Dragon and Time Wizard up for grabs, Joey knew it was important to make sure everything was up to quality.

"So what have we got here so far?" Joey asked. He picked up a loose T-shirt. "Hmm…100 percent cotton, dramatic poses, uh…white shirt? Can we start making these in black?"

"We have them in black," Mai replied. She tossed a black T-shirt to Joey. It looked just like the white one.

"I'm telling you, Mai. These things had better sell. I don't want to lose my two best cards."

Mai shook her head and passed Joey a Yugi/Kaiba mug. "Here, have some coffee."

Joey took a sip and sighed contentedly. "Hey, that's pretty good."

"It better be," Mai said. "It's official Yugi/Kaiba coffee."

Mai held up a coffee bag with Yugi and Kaiba's faces on it. It was obvious that Mai was sparing no expense.

"So what else do we got?" Joey asked.

Mai passed a pair of rubber masks to Joey. "Try these official Yugi and Kaiba masks."

Joey put a mask on as Mai held a mirror in front of him. He nearly startled himself. "Hey, those things look pretty real. I could have almost sworn I was looking straight at Yugi." Then he switched to the Kaiba mask. "And I could have almost sworn I was looking straight at that creep, Kaiba."

Mai moved on to her next product. "And here we have some Yugi/Kaiba bobbleheads. They're sure to be among our best-selling items."

Joey leaned over to see the small wooden dolls with gigantic heads shaped like Yugi and Kaiba. The heads just kept bobbing up and down with no sign of stopping.

"I love those things!" Joey grinned. "Call them collector's items and we'll double our sales, guaranteed."

Mai then moved on to her next product. "And over here we have some lovely Yugi/Kaiba perfume."

"Perfume? You've got a one-track mind, Mai."

Mai responded to that crack by spraying Joey with the official Yugi perfume. Joey coughed, then took a couple of deep sniffs.

"That smells pretty good. Don't you think so, Tristan? Tristan?"

Joey turned around and saw that Tristan still had his face buried in his book. Joey snatched it away from him.

"Joey! What's the idea?"

Joey looked at the book's cover and saw it was his history textbook. "History? Tristan, you're doing HOMEWORK at a time like this?!"

"We missed a week's worth of school," Tristan pointed out. "I'm not a nerd or anything, but even *I* know it's a bad idea to fall behind the way we are." He yawned. "We've been working nonstop and we've hardly gotten any sleep."

"Sleep is for the weak, Tristan," Joey growled. "I don't want to lose that bet to Weevil and Rex."

Mai tossed a sheet to Tristan. "If you're really that tired, then go sit on one of those Yugi/Kaiba beanbag chairs and sleep with that Yugi/Kaiba blanket."

"But don't sleep too long," Joey added. "I wouldn't want to have to wake you up by cracking you over the head with a Yugi/Kaiba commemorative plate."

"You will NOT crack him with one of our plates!" Mai snapped. "Those plates aren't free, you know!"

"Oh yeah."

"If you MUST wake Tristan up later, then use that Yugi/Kaiba alarm clock over there."

Tristan sweatdropped. "Why do I have a feeling that when I wake up, I'll be in Yugi/Kaiba land?"

"Because you'll be surrounded by tons of Yugi/Kaiba merchandise," Joey grinned. "And by the end of tomorrow, I'll be celebrating by raising up official Yugi/Kaiba balloons and lighting official Yugi/Kaiba firecrackers."

"Joey, we don't HAVE Yugi/Kaiba firecrackers," Mai muttered.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Joey shot back. "Let's get started!"

Tristan sweatdropped again. "I don't know WHY I ever agreed to this."

* * *

Téa wasn't kidding when she said she would help Yami unwind and get his mind off tomorrow's duel. He wasn't too familiar with the modern-day "gym", but he was comforted when Téa brought him to a place called the spa. It looked like a replica of the ancient hot springs, with water just as hot and soothing.

Keeping his towel on, Yami slowly stepped into the spa. The hot water was very relaxing and it didn't take long for him to sink in and make himself comfortable. It was nice to know he was all alone without the hassles of the media around. This was truly his time.

Yami closed his eyes and started daydreaming. At least he wanted to.

_/ Yami? What are you thinking about? /_

Of course, Yami would never truly be alone. He would always have Yugi around.

_// I'm just daydreaming, Yugi. You know, I really should find a way to thank Téa for this. I couldn't have asked for anything better to help me relieve my tension. //_

In his internal conversation with Yugi, Yami didn't notice someone else walk in. He didn't realize he was in a public spa, and therefore someone walked up from behind and settled into the spa right next to him. When he heard the gentle splash, Yami decided to greet the man while keeping his eyes closed.

"Relaxing, isn't it, friend?"

"Yugi?!"

Yami quickly opened his eyes and saw that the one who just came into the spa…was none other than Seto Kaiba.

Yami was steaming more than the spa. "What are YOU doing here, Kaiba?!"

Kaiba recognized the gruff voice of Yugi's alter ego. "I came here to unwind and get my mind off the insidious media circus surrounding our duel! I didn't come here to see you, Yami!"

"You won't have to see me, Kaiba! I'm leaving! And you won't see me again until tomorrow's duel!"

"That's right, I won't have to see you again until tomorrow when I defeat you, once and for all!"

"You'll never beat me, Seto Kaiba! You don't have what it takes!"

"Then why don't we make the stakes a little higher?"

Yami was caught off-guard, but kept his confident smirk. "What do you have in mind?"

"You know I'm a powerful man, Yami. If you beat me, I'll arrange it so that you get an equal share of my company. You'll be an equal partner in Kaibacorp. You'll wield just as much power as I do."

Yami was taken aback. He knew Kaiba was confident and wanted to win badly, but he never expected the stakes to be that high. Kaiba was literally putting control of his company on the line. There had to be a huge catch.

"But if *I* win, you'll give me something I've been wanting for a long time. I want the Millennium Puzzle!"

Yami didn't expect that either. "The Millennium Puzzle?"

"The Millennium Puzzle has some kind of special power. I know it! And it has something to do with Duel Monsters. Once I have it, I can have my company study it and they'll find out just what kind of power it wields. And more importantly, it'll eliminate you forever. So what do you say, Yami? Do you have enough confidence that you're willing to put your very existence on the line? Or will you back out and show me that you've realized what I've known all along. That you CAN'T beat me!"

"I CAN beat you, Seto Kaiba! I accept your terms!"

Kaiba chuckled. "And that'll be your undoing. Your pride will lead to your end. And I can feel it. Through your charade of confidence, I can hear the fear in your voice. You ARE afraid, because you KNOW you'll lose!"

"I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU, KAIBA!!"

_/ Yami, calm down! Take a deep breath! We're in a public place! /_

// The nerve of him! I'll show him who's afraid!! //

/ Maybe we should leave. See that door over there, Yami? Walk out and don't look back. Please don't make a scene! /

Unable to mellow out with Kaiba in the same spa, Yami stepped out with his towel still wrapped around his waist and walked towards the changing room. But before he could even make it, several other uninvited guests rushed into the public spa. They were several members of the press.

"It's Yugi Moto!"

"And there's Seto Kaiba!"

"Mr. Moto, are you nervous at all about tomorrow's duel?"

"Mr. Kaiba, do you feel any pressure at all about winning tomorrow's duel?"

"Mr. Moto, Mr. Kaiba, uh…is there a reason you two are in the same spa?"

"Is there something we're not aware of, Mr. Moto?"

Yami couldn't take anymore. "VULTURES! Away with you!"

Yami tried to shove past the incessant questions and popping flashbulbs, but in his struggle to push through, a loose nail by the door caught his towel…

…and tore it off.

The press came to a hush…with the exception of one flashbulb.

"What a scoop! Playgirl will pay thousands!"

Yami finally turned beet red. "GET OUT!!"

_/ Yami, it's ok! Calm down! /_

// Please, Yugi! Let me teach them a lesson! //

/ No! What'll that do for our image? /

// OUR IMAGE?! Yugi, I'm… //

/ Just keep covering yourself and I'm sure no one will notice. /

Yami could only keep his front covered with his hands, as he backed out and headed back into the changing room. The press, shocked by Yami's outburst, decided to shift their attention to Kaiba.

"Mr. Kaiba, about tomorrow's duel…"

"Mr. Kaiba, do you have any new strategies…"

"Mr. Kaiba, any thoughts on Yugi Moto's outburst?"

"AAH! Get out of here!" Kaiba cried. "I came here to get away from all of you! GO AWAY!"

While the press continued to pester Kaiba, Yami sheepishly entered the changing room and quickly got back into his clothes.

Hopefully, he could get out before the press caught up to him again.

  


Next Time: This was quite an awkward segue, but next time, the big day has arrived. Yugi and Kaiba have their third duel in front of a capacity crowd…and a lot of press. Can both of them put aside the pressure and duel at their best? Who will win? And how will the Joey Wheeler merchandising campaign turn out?

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	5. Time To Duel!

Last Time: Unwinding didn't turn out quite the way Yami had hoped. He did get a chance to relax in a spa, but he didn't think he'd see Seto Kaiba enter the same spa. And to make matters worse, the press found their way in and Yami ended up in…an awkward position. But that was Thursday and now…we've reached Friday.

  


**Tiebreaker: Part 5**

  


At first, when Yugi accepted this third duel with Kaiba, he thought it'd be in a more private environment, much like the first duel they had. But this was far from a private duel.

On this Friday, Yugi found himself in the middle of the town square, where a capacity crowd had gathered and a special dueling field had been set up. The stakes were much higher this time around. It was the Millennium Puzzle vs. half of Kaibacorp. As Yugi slowly walked towards his position with his biggest supporter Téa behind him, he accidentally bumped into a vendor, of all people. But he soon realized this wasn't just ANY vendor.

"Joey?!"

Indeed, it was Joey, wearing a vendor's cap and apron and holding up various memorabilia.

"Hey, Yuge! I was hoping to find you here. I wanted to wish you luck, buddy. But I know you won't need it, because you could beat that sleaze, Kaiba, in your sleep."

"What…exactly are you doing?" Téa asked curiously.

"What, this? I wanted to surprise you two with this little stroke of genius of mine. I'm selling all kinds of merchandise. And look, I've already made a fortune!"

Joey reached into his pocket and pulled out a large wad of cash. In the short couple of hours, he had made a lot of money. Frankly, Yugi was very surprised…and impressed.

"That's great, Joey! I'm proud of you!"

"Thanks, bud. Now go and kick Kaiba's butt! I'll be waiting here and we can celebrate with all my profits!"

Téa reached over and kissed Yugi on the cheek. "Good luck, Yugi. I know you can do this!"

Yugi smiled and kept moving forward until he reached his side of the dueling field. On the other side, Seto Kaiba was waiting for him. But before he could start taunting, a large voice boomed over the vicinity.

"Welcome to the Duel of the Century! You are all about to witness Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto engage in an epic Duel Monsters battle for the right to be called the #1 duelist in the world! And I'm here to call all the action for all in attendance and everyone watching around the world!"

Kaiba looked around. "I didn't call for an announcer!"

Yugi was expecting his Millennium Puzzle to react by now, but it wasn't doing anything. With the duel about to start within minutes, Yugi was getting worried.

_/ Uh…Yami? You want to come out now? /_

// I…I can't! There are so many PEOPLE! I'm being watched by an entire audience! Never have I dueled in front of so many! //

/ Yami, please! I really need you! The Millennium Puzzle's on the line! /

// Aibou, I couldn't even beat Téa in front of one reporter. How am I supposed to beat Kaiba with an entire crowd, a sea of reporters, and a television audience watching me? //

Yugi tried to think of what to say. _/ Uh…use that advice I gave you. /_

There was a brief hesitation. _// AAAAHHH!! //_

/ What happened, Yami? /

// I tried following your advice. Picturing Seto Kaiba in his underwear is not a pleasant thought. Isn't there any OTHER way to take this tremendous pressure off? //

/ Just pretend those people aren't even there. You know I'm here. I'll be right here in case you need me. You have nothing to be nervous about. You're the King of Games! And now the world will see it for themselves! /

// Well…since you put it that way. Thank you, Yugi. I'll come out and show just why I'm the King of Games! //

With that, the Millennium Puzzle began to react.

**_YU-GI-OH!!_**

* * *

Joey couldn't wait to count all the money he made. He was selling endless amounts of merchandise, as people were really getting into the biggest duel the world had ever seen. As Joey kept moving through the crowd, he ran into the other vendor.

"How are sales going, Tristan?"

"Better than I could have imagined! I've got to give you credit on this one, Joey. This really WAS a great idea! And we're making tons of money!"

"I'd like to see what Weevil and Rex have up their sleeves."

"BETS!"

"Place you bets here!"

Joey and Tristan turned around to find a betting booth was set up. And Weevil and Rex were inside taking bets. Curious, Joey moved closer to see that Weevil and Rex were collecting bets for a giant pool that would be divided among the winners. And they were charging a convenience fee of 100 yen for every bet taken.

"Well, if it isn't Joey Wheeler?" Rex grinned. "Like the little business venture WE'VE got set up?"

"Now THIS is how you profit off this duel!" Weevil added. "You appeal to peoples' inner greed by setting up a gambling booth."

"Uh…how much have you guys made?" Joey asked almost fearfully.

Weevil took out a huge box and opened it up to reveal a cash overflow. It looked like they were making much more money than Joey and his campaign.

"You want to go ahead and kiss those cards goodbye?" Weevil smirked.

"This day ain't over yet!" Joey pointed out. "You just wait! We'll smoke you!"

Joey walked off confidently, but he quickly pulled Tristan over and lost his façade of cockiness.

"Tristan…I think it's time to hit the panic button!"

* * *

Yami Yugi attached the dueling disk to his wrist. "I hope you're ready, Kaiba! This may be the day you've been waiting for, but you'll soon wish it never came."

Yami almost startled himself, because his voice boomed over the entire vicinity. He had a microphone attached to his jacket, which allowed his voice to be heard by all in attendance.

"You won't be talking so tough once I'm through with you, Yami," Kaiba shot back. His voice was also amplified with the aid of a microphone. "I've been craving this opportunity to prove my dominance for a long time! And not only do I have that opportunity, but I can prove in front of an audience of millions that I am the world's greatest duelist! Prepare yourself, because I'm about to prove my supremacy to the world and I will defeat you, once and for all!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Yami smirked.

"LET'S DUEL!" both shouted.

**Yugi's LP: 2000 || Kaiba's LP: 2000**

With that declaration, the crowd erupted. There was hardly an empty spot in the town square. The crowd didn't show any signs of quieting as Yami and Kaiba drew their first cards.

Kaiba made the first move. "Get ready to experience your greatest defeat! And I'll lead off with something a little familiar to you. I'll start with the Hitotsu-Me Giant in Attack Mode!"

**Hitotsu-Me Giant 1200/1000**

This was exactly how Kaiba led off the first duel. Yami recognized the brutish, one-eyed monster that appeared on the field. But Yami had something in his deck that would make short work of the lumbering Hitotsu-Me Giant.

"And I'll lead off with Celtic Guardian in Attack Mode!"

**Celtic Guardian 1400/1200**

With the Celtic Guardian out, Yami wrapped up his turn. "And I'll also lay a card face down. Celtic Guardian, attack with Silverblade Slash!"

Celtic Guardian rushed forward with his sword sheathed. He sliced away and quickly disposed of the Hitotsu-Me Giant. Kaiba's Life Points dropped to 1800. But Kaiba didn't look shaken at all.

"Good move. But I'll quickly take out your Celtic Guardian by playing the Judge Man!"

**Judge Man 2200/1500**

The Judge Man was a powerful monster that threatened to take Yami down a few notches if he took out Celtic Guardian, but Yami wasn't worried at all.

"Attack, Judge Man!"

"Not so fast, Kaiba! I played a card face down, remember? And you really should have recognized this move, because it's something I've used on you before. It's the Monster Replace card and it allows me to switch out my Celtic Guardian for another card in my hand. And that card is the Summoned Skull in Attack Mode!"

**Summoned Skull 2500/1200**

Yami smirked. "Summoned Skull! Lightning Strike!"

The Summoned Skull winded up and tossed his Lightning Strike at the Judge Man, demolishing him and bringing Kaiba's Life Points down to 1500.

"You've been all talk, Kaiba," Yami mocked. "But my Life Points are still at 2000 and you're already down to 1500."

"But you forget that I have cards in my deck that are unequalled in power," Kaiba pointed out. "But while I wait to draw those, I'll lay down Grappler in Defense Mode."

**Grappler 1300/1200**

"Defense Mode? You're running out of moves already, Kaiba?"

"Just biding my time."

"Well, I'll go ahead and lay a card face down and eliminate your Grappler with Lightning Strike!"

The Summoned Skull attacked with another Lightning Strike and took out Grappler. Kaiba didn't lose any Life Points, but he still sat at 1500. Yami was starting to feel more confident.

But he didn't get cocky. He knew Kaiba could come back at a moment's notice.

* * *

Seto didn't want to lay a card in Defense Mode. But he had no cards in his hand that could beat the Summoned Skull. But when he drew his next card, he found one that could.

_/// Yes! This is just what I've been waiting for! ///_

Kaiba smirked. "Your Summoned Skull has wreaked enough havoc! Now it's time to put it down with the mighty Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

**Blue Eyes White Dragon 3000/2500**

The Blue Eyes White Dragon roared as it came to life. It was the strongest non-fusion monster in the entire game of Duel Monsters and Seto had the only three remaining Blue Eyes in the world all in his deck.

"Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack with White Lightning!"

The Blue Eyes White Dragon warmed up and formed a giant lightning ball in its mouth and launched it at the Summoned Skull. But Seto didn't know Yami had a trap waiting for him.

"I had a feeling you'd have a Blue Eyes White Dragon waiting, Kaiba," Yami said confidently. "So that's why I laid down this Trap Card, the Spellbinding Circle! The Spellbinding Circle will trap your dragon and reduce its Attack Points by 700!"

**Blue Eyes White Dragon 3000/2500 == 2300/2500**

Seto's eyes widened as he watched the Spellbinding Circle surround his Blue Eyes and reduce its power by 700 Attack Points.

"And with your dragon down to 2300, I can destroy it with my Summoned Skull! Go, Lightning Strike!"

Seto could barely look as the Summoned Skull destroyed his first Blue Eyes White Dragon. Not only did that attack lower his Life Points to 1300, but it also took away his chances at fusing his three dragons together.

However, he didn't lose hope. He still had two more dragons in his deck. He hoped to draw one of them next, but instead he drew another interesting choice.

_/// Wait a minute…if I play THIS combo…I could beat his Summoned Skull! He'd never see it coming! ///_

Seto had a smug look on his face. He was about to play something very unexpected.

* * *

Yami was getting more confident. Kaiba was down to 1300 Life Points while all of his own Life Points were intact. But Kaiba still looked very confident.

"Your Summoned Skull is about to fall, Yami! I play the Battle Ox in Attack Mode!"

**Battle Ox 1700/1000**

The fierce Battle Ox appeared on the field. Although it looked intimidating, its Attack Points didn't even come close to match the Summoned Skull's.

_/ The Battle Ox? What could Kaiba be thinking? /_

// He's got something up his sleeve. I don't like this. //

Yami growled. "The Battle Ox doesn't stand a chance, Kaiba, as you're about to see. Summoned Skull, Lightning Strike!"

Before the Summoned Skull attacked, Kaiba played another card. "My Battle Ox stands more than a chance. Especially if I equip him with THIS! The Axe of Despair! With it, I increase my Battle Ox's Attack Points by 1000!"

**Battle Ox 1700/1000 == 2700/1000**

"Go, Battle Ox! Take down that Summoned Skull with the Axe of Despair!"

The Battle Ox charged forward and took apart the Summoned Skull, much to the oohs and ahhs of the crowd. Yami's Life Points went down to 1800.

_/ That was an impressive move. I've never seen the Axe of Despair card before. Kaiba must have really done his homework before this duel. How do we counter something like that? /_

// We have the Dark Magician in our hand. //

/ It wouldn't last against the Battle Ox. We need to wait. /

// I'll buy us some time with this. //

"I play the Giant Soldier of Stone in Defense Mode."

**Giant Soldier of Stone 1300/2000**

Kaiba chuckled. "NOW who's running out of moves? Battle Ox, attack!"

The Battle Ox twirled the Axe of Despair around before slicing the Giant Soldier of Stone to rubble. No Life Points were lost, but Yami couldn't keep this up. But he drew his next card and found just what he needed.

_/ Alright! Good card! /_

// Let's see his Battle Ox stand up to THIS! //

"Go, Dark Magician in Attack Mode!"

**Dark Magician 2500/2100**

"And I'll combine him with the Book of Secret Arts card to raise his Attack Points to 2800!"

**Dark Magician 2500/2100 == 2800/2400**

"Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!"

The Dark Magician attacked and defeated the Battle Ox. Kaiba's Life Points went down to 1200.

**Yugi's LP 1800 || Kaiba's LP 1200**

"And that does it for your Battle Ox, Kaiba!"

With the powered-up Battle Ox out of play, Yami was feeling relieved. The Battle Ox and Axe of Despair was a good combo and could have made a large dent in his Life Points had he not done something about it. Yami was getting closer and closer to victory. He drew another card, but got a shock when he did.

_// Waboku! Isn't this one of Téa's cards? //_

/ What?! She must have slipped it in when I wasn't looking! I can't believe she'd do that! /

// As long as we have it…we may as well take advantage of it. //

* * *

With a powered-up Dark Magician, Seto only had one card that could defeat it. He hoped to draw it, but instead got a Magic Card that wouldn't help at all.

_/// Polymerization. A card I likely won't end up using. ///_

"I have no choice but to play this face down in Defense Mode."

"Very well. I'll also play a card face down and then I'll destroy your face-down card.. Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!"

The Dark Magician easily disposed of Seto's face-down monster. But it gave him another opportunity to draw the card he needed.

And sure enough, he got just what he needed.

"You think you've got this duel wrapped up with your Dark Magician, Yami, but now I'll put an end to it with the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

**Blue Eyes White Dragon 3000/2500**

Seto had drawn his second Blue Eyes. And with it, Yami's Dark Magician would go down.

"Blue Eyes White Dragon! Attack with White Lightning!"

The Blue Eyes White Dragon aimed straight for the Dark Magician and fired with White Lightning. But to Seto's dismay, Yami had something waiting.

"I activate the Trap Card, Waboku!"

The card Yami had laid face down was Waboku, which negated the attack of the Blue Eyes. It left the Dark Magician unharmed and bought Yami more time. But Seto remained confident. His Dark Magician didn't have much time left.

"Perhaps I can't stand up to your Blue Eyes yet, Kaiba," Yami began. "But I can hold it off using Magical Hats!"

Four hats fell onto the field, one of them covering up the Dark Magician. For Seto, this all came down to a guessing game. But when he drew his next card, he laughed. He liked what he drew.

"You can play games all you want, but instead of picking a hat, I'll first lay down another Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

**Blue Eyes White Dragon 3000/2500**

"Blue Eyes White Dragon! Use your White Lightning!"

The Blue Eyes that Seto just laid down fired at one of the Magical Hats. Unfortunately, the hat was empty.

But Seto still had the advantage. For his next turn, he'd have both Blue Eyes attack and he'd have a two in three chance of wiping out the Dark Magician.

* * *

Back at the merchandise booth, Joey couldn't believe how bad things were going. He had made a lot of money, but it didn't look to be anywhere near the amount of money that Weevil and Rex had made. He was in danger of losing his Red Eyes Black Dragon and Time Wizard.

"How much have we sold, Mai?"

"We're hardly making anything anymore, Joey. Business is slowing down."

"But business can't slow down! I'm gonna lose my cards!"

"Maybe WE should have thought of a betting booth," Tristan mused.

Joey pounded his fist on the counter of the booth. "There's gotta be something I can do. Something I can do to increase sales."

As soon as Joey said that…

"Hi guys. How's business?"

Tristan shook his head. "Not so good, Téa. Nobody's buying anymore. And we're already getting into 2-for-1 deals."

"Maybe you guys just need a better incentive to buy," Téa suggested.

A light bulb suddenly lit over Joey's head. "Téa! You're a genius! I've got the perfect answer!"

"What's that?" Téa asked curiously.

Joey only got one of his goofy grins on his face as he looked at Téa. Téa could only sweatdrop.

Tristan blinked. "I don't like the looks of this."

* * *

Yami knew he was in trouble. With two dragons on the field, he knew Magical Hats couldn't protect the Dark Magician for much longer. He closed his eyes and focused on the heart of the cards. He drew a card and got another useful card.

_/ This ought to buy us some time. /_

"I play Swords of Revealing Light! That'll stop your dragons for three turns, Kaiba!" The Swords of Revealing light began appearing on the field, followed by a blinking of lights. "Hmm…I've never seen the Swords of Revealing Light react like this before." Then he turned his head and realized those were actually flashbulbs from several cameras being held by reporters. Yami got annoyed. "HEY! Stop that! I'm in the middle of a duel!"

The reporters backed off as the Swords of Revealing light took effect. The Blue Eyes White Dragons on the field froze in place. Yami had three turns to take Kaiba and his dragons down.

Kaiba drew his next card and immediately laid it down. "I play the Gift of the Mystical Elf! With her power, I reinforce my Life Points by 300!"

**Yugi's LP 1800 || Kaiba's LP 1500**

Yami drew his next card and laid another one he had been holding. "I play Curse of Dragon in Attack Mode!"

**Curse of Dragon 2000/1500**

With the next turn, Kaiba simply shrugged. "I know how you think, Yami. If I know you, I'd better have this ready, face down."

Yami drew another card and got another good draw. "Now I'll play the Feral Imp in Attack Mode!"

**Feral Imp 1300/1400**

"I don't see what good these moves are doing you, Yami."

"Just make your move, Kaiba."

"Very well. I'll play one more card face down."

Yami chuckled. "And now, I'll play THIS! The Black Lustre Ritual! Sacrificing Curse of Dragon and the Feral Imp, I'll complete the Black Lustre Ritual and call upon the Black Lustre Soldier!"

**Black Lustre Soldier 3000/2500**

Curse of Dragon and the Feral Imp disappeared from the field and soon, in their place, was the fearsome Black Lustre Soldier. It was the same soldier that appeared in the battle with Mai at Duelist Kingdom and had led Yami to victory in that duel. With its Attack Points even with the Blue Eyes White Dragon and the Dark Magician still in one of the three remaining Magical Hats, Yami was in a good position.

However, despite all that, when Kaiba drew his next card, he chuckled. "All those theatrics and it won't even matter! Not only can my two dragons move on this turn, but I've also drawn Reborn the Monster! And with it, I'll revive my first Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

**Blue Eyes White Dragon 3000/2500**

"And now, with this Polymerization card, I'll fuse all three of my dragons together to create the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

**Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon 4500/3800**

The crowd was in awe upon seeing the three Blue Eyes on the field all fuse together to become one enormous, three-headed creature. There were spectators taking pictures and looking on in amazement at the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"That's great stuff!" one of the sideline reporters shouted. "Can you hold that pose, Mr. Kaiba?"

Kaiba flinched as a flashbulb went off. "Stop that! I'm not a model!" Then Kaiba eagerly gave his next order. "Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Destroy the Black Lustre Soldier with your Neutron Blast!"

The vicinity got much hotter as the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon rose into the air and fired down on the Black Lustre Soldier. The result was a huge explosion that nearly toppled the capacity crowd. And when the smoke cleared, the Black Lustre Soldier was obliterated. With the destruction of his soldier, Yami's Life Points went all the way down to 300.

Another sideline reporter took a picture. "Awesome action shot!"

_/ I thought that by taking down that first Blue Eyes, we wouldn't have to deal with the fused Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. There's not much more we can do. He'll have to take down one hat at a time to get to the Dark Magician. /_

// But if he gets lucky and draws the right hat, we lose this duel! We can't take that chance! //

Yami drew his next card and gasped.

_/ This has worked for us before! /_

// It's definitely worth a try! //

"I'm sure you remember this one, Kaiba! I'll play Kuriboh in Attack Mode!"

**Kuriboh 300/200**

"And I'll combine him with this Multiply Card to create an entire army on the field!"

The lone Kuriboh glowed and got ready to multiply, but something unexpected happened.

"Not so fast! I've seen you use this combo on me before! Come now, Yami. Did you really think I wouldn't prepare for it? Did you really think I wouldn't find a way to counter it?"

"What?! Impossible!"

"Oh, but it's VERY possible! And I WILL counter…with the card I that laid face down. It's the De-Spell card!"

Yami gasped. "Oh no!"

"That's right! I'll use De-Spell to deactivate your Multiply card…leaving your Kuriboh a sitting duck for my dragon."

Kaiba had made a huge play on that last turn. Without the Multiply card, Yami was stuck with a lone Kuriboh. So with an extra space in his hand, Yami drew his next card…and smirked.

_// Aibou…I think we're going to be just fine. //_

/ Let's just hope this works. /

"I'll lay this card face down, Kaiba. And I'll end my turn."

Yami waited patiently…and smirked.

* * *

Seto sensed something extremely fishy. He didn't like the way Yami left his Kuriboh in Attack Mode. That card he laid down must have been a trap. His Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon would ultimately win him the duel, but he couldn't risk it now. If, in fact, the card laid down was NOT a trap and Yami was just bluffing, then Seto could take out Yami's remaining Life Points with any of his other cards.

_/// If he thinks I'm going to lead my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon into a trap, he's got another thing coming. ANY monster can take down a Kuriboh…including this one. ///_

That's when he decided to lay a different one down. "I'll keep my Ultimate Blue Eyes waiting in the wings while I take down that hairball with the Rude Kaiser!"

**Rude Kaiser 1800/1600**

"Rude Kaiser! Attack Kuriboh with Forearm Slash!"

The Rude Kaiser rushed forward to slice Kuriboh into ribbons. And just as Seto suspected, Yami was about to flip his face-down card and reveal a trap. What Seto didn't realize was how severe that trap truly was.

"You were one step ahead of me there, Kaiba, but I STILL got the better of you. Because you've activated my trap! The Mirror Force card! And with it, I destroy EVERY monster you have on the field…INCLUDING your Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

Much to Seto's horror, the Rude Kaiser and the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon were both eradicated before his very eyes. He couldn't believe it.

"NO! MY ULTIMATE BLUE EYES! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

_/// I can't believe it! Without my dragon, I'm done for! And I STILL have to deal with those infernal hats! ///_

**Yugi's LP 300 || Kaiba's LP 1500**

Seto closed his eyes and began to think about all the implications of this duel. The board wouldn't stand for this. People would never look at him the same way again. And more than all that, Yugi would get equal partnership in Kaibacorp. He HAD to win this duel. His reputation was on the line. His sole ownership in his company was on the line. So he drew one last card.

_/// THIS card! I can win with THIS card! That Kuriboh may STILL be his undoing! ///_

Kaiba smirked. "I have a way to lure your Dark Magician out, Yami. First I'll use THIS! I'll use a second De-Spell card to take your Dark Magician's Book of Secret Arts.

**Dark Magician 2800/2400 == 2500/2100**

"Next, I'll play Saggi the Dark Clown…and this card face down!"

**Saggi the Dark Clown 600/1500**

Seto could have very well had Saggi take out Kuriboh now and win the duel. But he wanted to watch his opponent squirm. He wanted to humiliate his opponent.

"If I were you, I'd better make a move. Because if you don't, I'm attacking your Kuriboh with Saggi and putting an end to this duel."

_/// Come on, Yami! Try and attack! And wait for me to POUNCE on you! ///_

* * *

"Step right up!" Joey grinned as he spoke into a megaphone. "Get your official Yugi/Kaiba merchandise right here! And for a limited time, we've got a special deal for all of you! Buy any piece of Yugi/Kaiba memorabilia and get your picture taken with the lovely Téa Gardner over here!"

Téa grumbled under her breath. "I can't believe I agreed to this."

"And that's not all," Joey continued. "You also get entered into a random drawing. The grand prize is a date with Téa!"

"WHAT?!" Téa demanded. "We never discussed that!"

"Don't spoil this for me, Téa," Joey whispered into her ear. "I really need you to save my bacon here." He cleared his throat and spoke back into the megaphone. "So step right up! The lovely Téa can't wait to go out with one of YOU!"

Mai tapped Téa on the shoulder and shook her head. "How do you think *I* feel? I can't believe he didn't approach ME with this idea first. You're not even that good-looking. Especially compared to me. Of course, not that I'd willingly solicit myself like that. Thanks for taking one for the team."

"You're so welcome," Téa muttered dryly.

Tristan leaned over and whispered into Joey's ear. "You DO know Téa's going to kill you when this is all over, right?"

"She should be thanking me," Joey cracked. "I could be setting her up with a really cute guy. Besides, I'll gladly take a few bruises if it means saving my Red Eyes and Time Wizard."

Joey kept his grin as he looked over at Téa…who didn't look amused at all. In fact, she looked awfully angry.

Joey could feel it. He WOULD end up taking some bruises on this day.

* * *

Yami saw Saggi the Dark Clown was right there, waiting for his move. With the Dark Magician still at 2800 Attack Points from the Book of Secret Arts card, Yami could win this duel. But there was one thing that kept him from attacking.

_/ You know why he wants us to attack Saggi, right? /_

// The Crush Card Virus! He's going to use the Crush Card! //

/ So should we lay low? /

// We can't. If we don't deal with Saggi, he can destroy Kuriboh and wipe out our remaining Life Points. //

/ Then what'll do we do? /

Yami drew his next card…and confidently smiled.

_// Here's what we do. //_

"You may think you're luring me into a trap, Kaiba, but I'm ready for you this time! You've shown me that you've learned well from our past battles, but it's also obvious that you don't remember ALL of my old moves! I hold in my hand the card that will win me this duel: the Mystic Box!"

Kaiba was in disbelief. "WHAT?!"

"You weren't planning to use a Crush Card on me, were you, Kaiba?" Yami asked mockingly. "I now place my Dark Magician inside the Mystic Box. And I now skewer the Mystic Box with several swords, but as you remember, Kaiba, I wouldn't willingly doom my Dark Magician. In fact, let's see what's inside the box!"

Everything unfolded just as Yami said. The Mystic Box then opened itself up to reveal a card that had been destroyed. Indeed, it turned out to be the Crush Card Virus. And without a Trap Card to protect Saggi, that meant this duel was over.

Kaiba clenched his teeth. "No, my Crush Card!"

"It's all over, Kaiba! Because now my Dark Magician comes out of the Mystic Box, unharmed! Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!"

The Dark Magician emerged safely from the Mystic Box, aimed, and fired. With the Crush Card Virus no longer looming, the Dark Magician was free to take down Saggi. But Kaiba had one last surprise waiting that would prove to be his saving grace.

Kaiba flipped over a face-down card. "Negate Attack!"

The Dark Magician's attack stopped in mid-air. Saggi was left unharmed and Kaiba had survived through another turn. Yami couldn't believe it. He could have sworn it was the end of the duel.

Kaiba drew another card and chuckled. "Let's see if you can last through this next turn. I'll lay two cards face down…and play the Swordstalker in Attack Mode!"

**Swordstalker 2000/1600**

"I no longer have my dragons at my disposal, so the Swordstalker is the best option I have. But let's see if you have the guts to attack."

_/ Those two face-down card worries me. It could be just about anything. /_

// He could also be bluffing. It would be foolish to risk the Dark Magician. But we have another monster in our hand that could work just as well. And if he takes down Saggi, we'll still win the duel. //

Having decided on his next move, Yami attempted to end this duel once and for all. "First, I'll shift Kuriboh into Defense Mode. Then I'll play Gaia the Fierce Knight! Attack Saggi and end this duel!"

**Gaia the Fierce Knight 2300/2100**

Gaia the Fierce Knight appeared on the field. The horse reared up and neighed before charging forward. The knight held out his lance and looked to skewer Saggi, but before he made contact, Kaiba revealed one of his face-down cards.

"I figured you'd try and attack…so I laid down this Magic Card. I use the Change of Heart card!"

_// NO! Not that again! //_

"I take control of your Dark Magician!" Kaiba declared. "Destroy Gaia!"

The Dark Magician fell under the influence of the Change of Heart card and struck down Gaia just before he hit Saggi. That blow left Yami's Life Points dangerously low.

**Yugi's LP 100 || Kaiba's LP 1500**

_// One more unexpected move like that and it's over! //_

/ Maybe we SHOULD have taken up Bakura's offer. A Change of Heart card might come in handy. Hey…wait a second! Yami, don't WE have a card just like it in our deck? /

// What do you mean? //

/ Trust me! Believe in the Heart of the Cards and we'll draw the one card we need! /

Yami listened to his other half and closed his eyes. He drew his next card and found that he really did find the card he was looking for.

Yami chuckled. "Kaiba…two can play that strategy."

Kaiba growled. "What do you mean?"

Yami laid down his next card. "I play Brain Control! Brain Control works just like the Change of Heart card in that it lets me control an enemy monster! And I take control of your Swordstalker to obliterate Saggi the Dark Clown!"

The Swordstalker quickly made an about-face and cut down Saggi without hesitation. The sudden move made the match much more even than it was seconds earlier. The duel was now dead even.

**Yugi's LP 100 || Kaiba's LP 100**

"Amazing move!" the announcer shouted. "Now we are in the midst of a tie! The next move will likely decide the duel! Can you all feel the tension?!"

"SHUT UP!" Yami and Kaiba both shouted.

There were only three monsters on the field now. Only Yami's Dark Magician and Kuriboh and Kaiba's Swordstalker remained. The next move was absolutely crucial. Yami drew his next card carefully.

_/ The Dark Magician has enough Attack Points to defeat the Swordstalker…but maybe we should play this face down to be on the safe side. /_

// Every move is critical. We MUST play this card just in case. //

Meanwhile, Kaiba made his move. "One card…face down. And I'll get rid of that hairball once and for all. Swordstalker, take care of it."

The Swordstalker lunged towards Kuriboh and eliminated the little monster from the field. Having been shifted into Defense Mode, the last of Yami's Life Points were preserved. The field was down to Swordstalker and the Dark Magician, but Yami was about to change that.

Yami laid his card face down and attacked. "Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!"

Kaiba flipped over his face-down card, revealing yet another Trap Card. "This is the card that'll win me this duel! Shadow Spell! Shadow Spell reduces your Dark Magician's attack power by 700!"

**Dark Magician 2500/2100 == 1800/2100**

"Go Swordstalker! Vengeance Strike!"

The Swordstalker was about to end the duel, but Yami flipped over a Trap Card of his own.

"I counter with the Horn of Heaven! Begrudgingly sacrificing my Dark Magician, the Horn of Heaven destroys your Swordstalker!"

Both the Dark Magician and the Swordstalker were removed from the field. The dueling field was now empty and both Yami and Kaiba remained with 100 Life Points each.

Kaiba growled. "Fool! You've turned this duel into a total game of chance! We now literally have to lay down whatever monster we have in our hand in hopes of having the higher attack strength. Leaving a duel up to chance is a move I'd expect out of Joey Wheeler!"

Yami smirked. "I hope you feel lucky, Kaiba. Let's just see who the Heart of the Cards sides with on this day."

Kaiba grumbled and drew his next card. "I may have used my strongest cards, but so have you! You have no card left to counter THIS! Mystic Horseman in Attack Mode!"

**Mystic Horseman 1300/1550**

Fresh out of his strongest cards, Kaiba went with the Mystic Horseman. But Yami had one card left up his sleeve. Without even looking, Yami drew his next card and laid it on the field. His faith rewarded him.

"The Heart of the Cards is on my side, Kaiba! Reborn the Monster! Bring back the Dark Magician!"

**Dark Magician 2500/2100**

The Dark Magician returned from the Graveyard and twirled his staff.

"DARK MAGIC ATTACK!"

The Dark Magician fired and took down the Mystic Horseman. With nothing left to counter with, Kaiba could not fight back.

The duel was over.

"What an amazing comeback!" the announcer boomed. "Yugi Moto, down by 1400 Life Points, makes a huge play at the end to defeat Seto Kaiba! Yugi Moto is your winner!"

The crowd erupted at the announcement. Kaiba pounded his fist on the ground. He was in disbelief.

Usually, Yami would be happy he won a duel. And in a way, he was. After all, the Millennium Puzzle was still in his possession. But unfortunately, things weren't over. As soon as he stepped off the field, he was swamped by a sea of reporters.

"Yugi Moto! How does it feel to have beaten Seto Kaiba TWICE?"

"Any reactions to this duel?"

"Did you ever think you'd lose?"

"Are you going to Disneyland?"

Yami tried to keep his temper. _// Aibou, PLEASE! I have the power! Let me teach them some respect! //_

/ Yami, you promised you'd behave yourself! Just say 'no comment'. /

// It's that easy? //

/ It's that easy. /

Yami gently waved his hand. "No comment."

The reporters kept asking questions, but they seemingly parted, leaving a path for Yami to walk through. Yugi was right. It really was that easy. After getting nothing from Yami, the reporters seemed to head towards Kaiba.

With the duel, the pressure was finally off. The tie had finally been broken.

* * *

By the time the night arrived, the town square was just about empty. The only exceptions were Joey and the other would-be entrepreneurs. The money was being counted, as Téa sat on a table counting all the earnings from both sides.

"Weevil and Rex…you made ¥54,562."

Weevil cackled. "You might as well go ahead and give us our cards now, Joey!"

"Yeah, I can't wait to get my Red Eyes back!" Rex added.

Joey was sweating bullets as Téa was about to read off how much he had made. It was an eerily long silence.

"Joey…you made ¥53,624."

Joey felt his whole world fall apart. He had lost. He just fell short and it would cost him his two best cards.

"Cough 'em up, Joey!" Rex chuckled. "Give us what's ours!"

Joey was distressed and despondent, but he was always a man of his word. He was about to reach over to hand over his cards, but someone walked up and interrupted the proceedings. It was a man in a suit.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. You two run the gambling booth, correct?"

"That's us," Rex grinned. "What can we do for you?"

"I'd like to cash in my ticket. I successfully bet ¥3000 on Yugi Moto and I'm here to collect."

Weevil's eyes widened. "N-N-N-NO! We're closed!"

"This ticket says I can collect at any time of the day."

Weevil turned to Rex. "You just HAD to put that on the ticket, didn't you?!"

The man in the suit was growing impatient. "I'd like my money, please."

"Yeah, Weevil, give the guy his money," Joey mocked.

"What are you waiting for?" Tristan added.

"Don't keep him waiting," Mai smirked.

Weevil's lip quivered as he handed the man in the suit ¥6000. The man in the suit took his winnings and happily walked away.

Joey grinned. "And that brings you guys down to ¥48,562. And that means *I* win! So cough up the dough!"

Weevil and Rex were both catatonic over the sudden proceedings, so Joey helped himself to all the money on the table. He had almost ¥100,000. Joey was ecstatic. He couldn't believe he had so much money.

"Alright! I'm buying myself a Ferrari! Uh…and I'll keep it in my garage until I'm old enough to drive it!"

But before Joey could even react, Mai took all the money in her hand.

"Hey, what's the idea, Mai?!"

"Little Joey, you don't know anything about business, do you? We have to add up expenses."

"Expenses?"

Mai sighed and started counting. "Let's see…before anything, I have to take my first cut. And since you're the head honcho, that leaves you responsible for…let's see…there's the cost of manufacturing, the cost of renting the warehouse, and the wages of all the workers we had. And that leaves…"

Mai handed Joey a small pile of cash. Joey counted the money and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

"¥100! All I made out of this was a stinkin' ¥100!"

"Actually…that's the cut for you AND Tristan. So you two get to SPLIT ¥100. And I keep my cut. Nice doing business with you, Joey."

Mai cheerfully walked away, leaving a bewildered Joey to ponder just exactly what happened. Mai Valentine had completely conned him.

Téa shook her head. "Oh Joey…I'm just glad I don't get myself into these things."

"That's right, you don't," Tristan grinned. "That's what Joey's for. Remember your DATE? First prize."

Téa sweatdropped. "You actually went through with that?!"

Joey suddenly perked up and chuckled. "We sure did! Couldn't have done this without you, Téa. And here's a little something for your trouble."

Joey left a coin right in front of Téa…who was steaming at this point. Joey and Tristan both recognized that look. They may have had a long experience as street punks, but they knew when it was time to back out of a losing battle.

"Tristan, I think we should run."

"I'm with you, buddy."

Joey and Tristan dashed away like there was no tomorrow while Téa got up and quickly gave chase.

"You two get back here! When I get my hands on you…!!"

Joey wasn't about to stop running. This idea seemed so beautiful on paper, but between Weevil, Rex, and Mai, it turned out so sour.

He started to think it better if he would think out his future schemes better.

* * *

Seto remembered what happened last time he lost to Yugi Moto. The board began to plot against him. And this time around, things wouldn't get any better. Especially with Yugi now getting an equal share of Kaibacorp. He couldn't take the chance of there being another insurrection within his board. He had to nip this in the bud. So he headed straight for the new board.

He stormed in and saw the five new board members sitting at the table. They looked like they had been awaiting his presence.

"I'd like to clear something up with you all immediately. The last time I lost to Yugi Moto, the ones who once filled those seats attempted to take over this company, thinking they could overthrow me. They thought I wasn't capable of defending my own company. They thought just because I lost one duel, that I could easily be deposed as head of Kaibacorp. I don't think I need to tell you that those five are no longer around and that I am still here! So I'm warning you all ahead of time NOT to get any ideas. If I hear any rumors of dissent, you will all pay!

"Furthermore, the rumors are true. I am a man of my word, so Yugi Moto will now hold an equal share of Kaibacorp. Therefore, you are to treat him with as much respect as you do me. All his requests are to be honored. You shall give him anything he asks for and he will have free access to all of our resources. Anybody who refuses to honor the stipulations of the duel shall answer to me. I trust there will be no problems. Good night, gentlemen."

Having gotten that off his chest, Seto turned around and started walking away. While he did lose to Yugi and the spirit of his puzzle again, he didn't forget who he was. He was still Seto Kaiba, one of the mightiest duelists in all the world and the head of a huge corporation.

One day, he would defeat Yugi Moto, but in the meantime, he would let the young one cherish his victory.

* * *

Big One watched as Kaiba walked away, still holding his head up after what had to be a disheartening defeat. He firmly established who was in charge, but there was still a problem.

"We cannot just sit idly by," Big Three said. "The image of Kaibacorp has been tarnished by this defeat. Things won't get any better with Yugi Moto becoming an equal partner and accessing anything he pleases."

"But you heard Kaiba," Big Four responded. "The last ones to occupy this board attempted to overthrow him and they have since been deposed. We cannot take that risk."

"We will not go to that extreme," Big One explained. "We need not do away with Seto Kaiba. He is just as powerful as he's ever been. No, gentlemen. I propose we go a different route."

"And what route would that be?" Big Five asked.

"Yes, how should we deal with this?" Big Two added.

Big One knew the obvious answer. "We must address this…by disposing of Yugi Moto, once and for all."

  


**THE END**

  


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